An observational study published in SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine evaluated clinical factors associated with in-hospital mortality among surgically treated neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The study included 40 neonates who underwent CDH surgical repair at a national referral center in Ecuador between January 2019 and January 2024. Overall, the reported in-hospital mortality rate was 35%.
Researchers found that larger diaphragmatic defects were associated with greater disease severity, with C and D defect categories occurring more frequently among neonates with higher respiratory compromise. After adjustment, larger defect size remained significantly associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR: 24.99; p=0.033), whereas oxygenation index was not independently associated with mortality. The study highlights diaphragmatic defect size as an important…
